A new system aims to keep you informed about emergencies in an instant. News Channel 6's Courtney Elledge has more.

500 people are benefiting from Columbia County's new emergency notification system.

Columbia County Emergency Management Director Pam Tucker says, ” We can call out a group of people whether it's a mapped area like a subdivision, or we can call out groups: search as the CERT team, dive team, mobil operations teams.”

If a murder suspect is on the run, massive floods or other scenarios hit Columbia County residents will be the first to know. One mom says signing up for the free alert system in order to keep her two boys safe was a no brainier.

Columbia County resident, Latasha Clark explains, “If there was a disaster I would want to know right away, so I would know what to do and how to prepare in order to take care of them and my family.”

The Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management Agency, Engineering Division, Geographic Information System Division, and Water Utility work together to provide the notifications at a cost of nearly $20,000.

Courtney Elledge reporting, “If you're registered, you can get updates via your cell phone, or sent to your email account. The alerts may change depending on where you live in Columbia County. ”

Pam Tucker says, “It's a back-up system, so if something is happening specific to where you live, you're going to get a phone call. All the land lines are already registered. Cell phones are not. So you have to go into the registration portal and register and your cell phone.”

Even if you don't have power, the Geographic Information System has the technology to reach you, on your cell phone wherever you may be in case of an emergency.